Pelvic prolapse treatment belt

Abstract

A pelvic prolapse treatment belt includes a main structural member having an inner and outer side for wrapping around a wearer including up to their hips. The main structural member includes a plurality of through-hole regions positioned to be located on respective sides of a wearer's spine. A compression pad is attached to the main structural member that has a wider top and a narrower bottom. The compression pad is configured for placing over a pelvic cavity of the wearer to provide support. A first and a second strap are attached to the narrower bottom and have a length sufficient for extending over the wearer's buttocks. The straps are sized for being pulled through the through-hole and have a distal end with an attachment feature for attaching to the outer side of the main structural member.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A pelvic prolapse treatment belt, comprising:
 a main structural member having an inner side and an outer side, the main structure having a length adapted to wrap around a wearer including being configured for after the wearer steps into the pelvic prolapse treatment belt for pulling the main structural member up to hips of the wearer, wherein the main structural member includes a plurality of through-hole regions adapted to be positioned on respective sides of a spine of the wearer; 
 a compression pad attached to the main structural member, the compression pad having a wider top and a narrower bottom; 
 an outer pad adapted to be placed over a pelvic floor muscle of the wearer; and 
 a first strap and a second strap attached to the narrower bottom, each of the first and second straps has a length adapted to extend over a respective buttock of the wearer, 
 wherein each of the first and the second straps is adapted to be inserted through any one of the plurality of through-hole regions and has a distal end with an attachment feature opposite the narrower bottom configured for pulling and then attaching the attachment feature to the outer side of the main structural member. 
 
     
     
       2. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein the outer pad is placed over the compression pad and the outer pad is softer than the compression pad, wherein the outer pad is attached to the main structural member. 
     
     
       3. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 2 , wherein the outer pad fully encases the compression pad, and wherein the outer pad comprises at least one of nylon, polyester, satin, spandex, rayon, and cotton. 
     
     
       4. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein the compression pad comprises a foam material having a minimum porosity of at least 25%, and a thickness between 1 mm and 6 mms. 
     
     
       5. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 4 , wherein the foam material comprises a rigid foam material having a Young's modulus in compression of at least 2 MPa at room temperature. 
     
     
       6. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of through-hole regions includes at least two through-hole regions on each of the respective sides. 
     
     
       7. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second straps comprise an elastomeric material, and have a length to width ratio of 10:1 to 50:1. 
     
     
       8. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein the attachment feature comprises hooks or loops, wherein the outer side of the main structural member includes another of the hooks and loops. 
     
     
       9. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 1 , wherein a top portion of the compression pad has a tapered shape. 
     
     
       10. A method of treating pelvic prolapse, comprising:
 providing a pelvic prolapse treatment belt comprising a main structural member having an inner side and an outer side, the main structural member has a length adapted to wrap around a wearer, the main structural member including a plurality of through-hole regions adapted to be positioned on respective sides of a spine of the wearer, a compression pad attached to the main structural member, the compression pad has a wider top and a narrower bottom adapted to extend over a pelvic floor muscle and associated tissue of the wearer, and a first and a second strap attached to the narrower bottom, and each of the first and second straps has a length adapted to extend over a respective buttock of the wearer, wherein each of the first and second straps is adapted to be inserted through any one of the plurality of through-hole regions and has a distal end with an attachment feature opposite the narrower bottom; 
 stepping into the pelvic prolapse treatment belt; 
 pulling the main structural member up to hips of the wearer; 
 extending each of the first and second straps over the respective buttock of the wearer so that the compression pad is positioned over the pelvic floor muscle and associated tissue of the wearer; 
 after the extending, directing the first and the second straps through the respective through-hole regions comprising feeding the first and the second straps through from an inside to and outside of the respective through hole-regions; 
 pulling the first and second straps such that the compression pad applies an upward and inward pressure on the pelvic floor muscle and associated tissue, and 
 after the pulling, attaching the respective attachment feature of the first and the second straps to the outer side of the main structural member. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the attachment feature comprises hooks or loops, wherein the outer side of the main structural member includes another of the hooks and loops. 
     
     
       12. The pelvic prolapse treatment belt of  claim 10 , wherein the outer pad placed over the compression pad and the outer pad is softer than the compression pad, wherein the outer pad is attached to the main structural member. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the outer pad fully encases the compression pad, and wherein the outer pad comprises nylon, polyester, satin, or cotton. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of through-hole regions includes at least two through-hole regions on each of the respective sides, wherein the directing of the first and the second straps through the through-hole regions comprises selecting between the at least two through-hole regions on each of the respective sides. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the compression pad comprises a foam material that has a thickness between 1 mm and 6 mms. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein a top portion of the compression pad has a tapered shape.